ABSTRACT

An outcome is defined as that benefit that is supposed to accrue to users of a particular service or product or undertaking. For a project to be said to be working out either as intended or not, there must be elements of it that are subjected to measurable figures. Measurable outcomes are an essential part of running a successful project and thus there is always need for careful planning. One rule that is always applied in coming up with functional measurable outcomes is to always express them in terms of figures and percentages. Any other unit of measurement can also be applied in this case. Measureable outcomes benefit the executers of a project in that they provide a foundation for evaluating the objectives sought out in the first place versus the reality and true picture of the impact on the ground (Dreher. M et al 2006). For this case, measurable outcomes could encompass both the desired and the undesired effects of a project. Measurable outcomes could either be quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative outcomes are measured in terms of how many, how much et cetera while qualitative outcomes could be expressed in terms of how well, how reliable, how successful e.t.c.

The objectives of the LEND program as has been stipulated in the LEND evaluation program plan can be summarised as follows( DePoy & Gilson, 2004)

To take stock of all legal matters and other issues affecting children with neuro-developmental and related disabilities

To find a way of investigating all the literature that surround children with neuro developmental and related disabilities

To gain the necessary knowledge base for advancing the group's interests as well as have the right skills for success in reaching out to the community

Find all the heath issues that are relevant when dealing with children with neuro developmental and related disabilities

From the above objectives the accruing quantitative and qualitative measurable outcomes could be applied as follows.

To find the number of children with neuro-developmental and related disabilities that have been involved in court cases and in the process find the percentage of them that have been handled and concluded and those that are still pending in court. The percentage of the cases that have been concluded out of the total would provide the basis for knowing how fast and effective the justice system is in dealing with cases affecting such children.

Another measurable outcome arising out of the objectives is the extent to which literature around children with neuro-development disabilities has been researched. How well researched is the information that is in the public domain and could there be cases of poorly researched material in the public domain. In this case what could be the percentage of the material?

The third important factor to express as a measurable outcome is to identify how many members of the LEND group are knowledgeable in matters to do with children with neuro development disabilities. Again in this case one has to understand the highest level of knowledge that is present within the group and to what extent is this knowledge benefiting the group. Where applicable how many people should be trained in particular field by a given time.

The last measurable outcome as relates to the objectives identified above is to know the extent of the necessary resource material accumulation is required to push through the missions and objectives of LEND. For instance, is there need to establish a library and if yes, how many books would be required by a given timeline.

The general measurable outcome out of the above outcomes would be derived from the chief mission of LEND which is to nurture professionals that will lead the way in improving healthcare access to children with disabilities. In this case it would be the increase in the number of children with neuro development disabilities that can now access quality health care in ways that were not possible before.

The above objectives would thus provide an effective foundation for carrying an evaluation analysis of how the objectives of LEND have been achieved. For example if the objective was to train at least five health professionals every year then during evaluation this number would be re-looked alongside the true figure of those professionals that have been trained and if the number is the same then one would conclude that that objective has been achieved. Below is a sample table on how the objectives, measurable outcomes and the necessary supporting structures could be represented for easier analysis. (Field M.J. ed., 1996)

Goal 1: To take stock of all legal matters affecting children with neuro development disabilities.